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Law Office of Professional Development

Legal Thank You Letters

Thank you letters were once considered to be a nice touch. Now they are fairly standard
and are expected. Your thank you letter must not contain any mistakes or it could
actually hurt your chances of securing the position.

Tips

Thank you notes should always be written and mailed within 48 hours of an interview.

In your letter, refer to the positive aspects of the interview, perhaps mentioning
a particular topic you discussed with the interviewer, and confirm your interest in
the employer.

When you have a “day” of interviews at a firm, you should, at a minimum, send a letter
to the hiring partner and to the person who coordinated the interviews or otherwise
played a major role in the interviews. However, it is best practice to send a short
letter to each person who spent time with you; it may make a difference in the selection
process.

We are often asked if thank you letters should be in e-mail, standard letter, or hand-written
note format and our answer is, it depends. Some employers prefer receiving an e-mail
or a hand-written thank you note, while others find anything less than a typed letter
on letterhead unprofessional. What format you use will depend on the situation. If
you know that the employer will be making their final candidate selection quickly
and/or you have been communicating with them primarily via e-mail, then e-mail may
be the way to go. In other situations, a typed letter on letterhead is often well
received.